Category Archives: Budget Decorating

My dad gave me $40.00 for my birthday (thanks, Dad!) this year and I tucked it away until I found something I really wanted. K has a 15 year-old friend named Ryan who is an artist. He recently participated in an art show at a local nature reserve and we went to show our support. As soon as I saw this painting, I knew I wanted it and just where it should hang. I think it’s definitely a great birthday present. I love the blues and have been trying to incorporate more of that color into our home. It’s a nice contrast to all the orange I have going on and I believe it complements the other pieces we already have.
I think it’s a nice addition and it made me feel good to support Ryan. I told my dad what I’d bought and he was very pleased to have a hand in supporting a talented young person as well, which we both feel is very important. Plus, I get to see my present every time we have dinner!

Have you bought any new art lately or been busy creating some? Let me know.

For a long time, we needed a blind for this little window in our bedroom but I could never quite find exactly what I wanted or needed at a price I was willing to pay. It also occurred to me that somewhere in the bowels of my house, I had a black curtain panel used in our last house that might be useful in such an application. After a two-day search, I finally found it in the basement under the tool bench (???) and started my project. I cut the panel to size, hemmed the sides and used some clip rings and a 40-inch shower tension rod from Bed, Bath & Beyond. I decided to go with a tension shower rod for the stability and lack of permanence in case I decide to upgrade down the road.
It has worked beautifully and only cost around $11.00 for the hardware by using several BB&B coupons. (I love that they stack coupons!)
There is still enough fabric left from the curtain panel to construct some sort of blind or shade for the large window, as well.
We also finally agreed upon, and purchased, a ceiling fan for the master bedroom. It’s only taken a year to decide what to do with the much-despised overhead light. We contemplated something retro and also contemplated a different ceiling fan but could never quite come to an agreement. J still wanted some light overhead but I didn’t want to go with a traditional looking ceiling fan with one of those ugly overhead light kits, so we did nothing. Now that summer is upon us and it’s getting warm in our room at night, I started my search again. Finally, finally, finally, we found one we both agreed upon with nice clean modern lines at a price we could afford but then couldn’t find it in stock anywhere. I contacted Electric Supplies Online and their awesome customer service department (hi, Kristine!) helped me get in the queue for one as soon as they were available. After a month’s wait, I received a shipping notice and it should be here tomorrow.
I can’t wait to get it hung. After a full year, this will bring our master bedroom renovation to completion. Things don’t always move swiftly around here but that might also have something to do with our propensity for jumping around from project to project as the mood strikes as well as a lack of funding. That’s okay, though. After all, slow and steady wins the race, or something like that. What projects are you working on right now?

I have been wanting one of these nice soft throws from West Elm for a really long time. It’s one of those things I don’t need, not by any stretch of the imagination. It’s a hard-to-justify purchase, especially with a linen closet full of quilts. I held-off for the longest time, especially when they were near full price with additional shipping charges. Last Sunday, however, the stars aligned, the throw went on sale for $9.99 and I received a free shipping code via email. Sold.
I love it. I love the color, the quality, the softness and the price. No, I didn’t need it but I sure did want it and it seems like a rather thrifty indulgence. It’s not as thrifty as the side table I just dug out of my neighbor’s trash, which was free, but still not bad considering the original price. Besides, a side table can’t keep me snug and warm on chilly spring mornings.

Two and a half years ago, I posted about painting the white ‘cracks’ of my cabinet doors. Yesterday, while doing some baking, I finally finished the last of them.
Now every cabinet door and drawer is solid orange.
I can’t tell you how good it felt to finally cross that off my master to-do list. Also, the apple strudel that I baked was super delish and I’ll be back later in the week with the recipe. Right now I’m just going to hang-out in my kitchen and admire my lovely doors.
Did you accomplish anything on your to-do list this weekend or was it nice and relaxing? Share!

Falling well within the category of function over form, I purchased these RITVA curtains from IKEA a couple of weeks ago. At $24.99, they’re a good price for a pair of full-length decent weight curtains.
We’ve had other IKEA curtains hanging in our bedroom for the last four years and they have been great. The only drawback to them is their sheerness, which allows the early morning sun to stream through. I’m such a light sleeper and awaken at the crack of dawn if there isn’t anything to block the light.
These RITVA curtains have helped immensely but I don’t really like how they look. I think I need some blinds behind them to balance things out and further block to the light but everything we do around here is one step at a time. J, however, loves them and thinks they’re perfect but that might be his way of distracting me from spending more money.
At any rate, they’re doing their intended job and they look okay. It’s hard to balance the desire for form over function, though. It seems like there’s been a lot of functional compromise going on in our house lately and I’m feeling itchy to let my creative side take over.

Do you ever get tired of compromising with function over form or do you hold fast to your aesthetic? Please share!

I’ve had my eye on this Bissa shoe cabinet from IKEA for quite some time. I want to put it next to the front door to collect all the shoes that end-up on the floor. Now that it’s winter, we have a large collection of boots overflowing the boot tray I purchased a few years back and melting snow is a big problem with our wood floors. Plus, I’ve been wanting to give that area a “landing zone” since we don’t have a true entry and thought it would be nice to put a basket or bowl on top to catch J’s wallet, cell phone, etc. I showed it to J, who was less than enthused and pointed out that putting snowy boots in a shoe cabinet might not be ideal. (Sigh. Always, Mr. Practical but he’s my Mr. Practical and that’s one of the many reasons I’m madly in love with him.) Still, we were near IKEA last weekend and stopped in to take a look.
Our son N was with us (his sister had ditched us for parts of IKEA unknown because that’s what teenagers do) and I showed him the cabinet. He was super impressed and actually liked the pull-down fronts of the cabinet. He even told me it was “pretty”, so I ask him if Mama buys one will he use it for his shoes and the kid looks me dead in the eye and says “probably not”. J, of course, starts snort-laughing in that ‘told you so’ kind of way, so we move-on to the textiles. J and N disappear for a few minutes while I peruse pillows that I don’t need and return with a sisal doormat.
J hands me the doormat and tells me that he’s found the answer to our problem. We’ll just use it in place of the boot tray and the rubber backing will catch any melting snow. It’s big enough to hold all of our shoes and boots and the kids will actually use it. “But”, I sputter, “it’s ugly and not at all what I envision for that area”. J, in his infinite patient wisdom says “yes, but what’s really important? What are we really trying to accomplish? We’re trying to protect the floor and have enough space for everyone’s footwear. I think this fits the bill and it’s cheaper than the shoe cabinet. Plus, it doesn’t have to be forever, so that gives us time to find a better permanent solution.” Fine. Compromise. Sold.
As it turns out, there’s even room for the cat. Plus, the boots are ending-up on the mat and there have been no more water on the floor issues. I have been contemplating buying one of the shoe cabinets for the warmer months and swapping it with the mat for colder months but that might be a bit excessive. Who knows if the kids would use it for their flip-flops anymore than they would for boots? I would probably just end-up with a pile of sandals next to the cabinet because J’s right. Sometimes it’s hard to let go of our fantasies, though, you know?

So what about you? What have you had to compromise on in order to meet your more realistic needs? (I’m still not giving up on my dreams of an organized and stylish entry!)

After J hung the shelves over the prep table, I “styled” them. I don’t have that special knack for artfully arranging things that so many others seem to possess. It takes me a few times to get something that’s balanced and pleasing to the eye. These shelves are also supposed to be useful so I don’t want them to be cluttered with a lot of useless bits and object d’art. My first attempt had a lot going on.
After living with it for a few weeks, I knew that the bright yellow painting my daughter made me had to be relocated because it just didn’t flow with the kitchen. The turquoise boxes for J’s fancy tasting spoons really popped against everything else so I took everything down and started over. I moved the painting to the master bedroom and found a dark basket in which to hide the spoon boxes. I also moved the other items around so now things look a little less cluttered and a lot more cohesive. Here’s what I have now.
Here’s the painting in our bedroom where I can see it every morning when I wake-up.
It works with the yellow “highlights” I already have in the room and I’m not sure why I didn’t think of moving it there before.

Slowly, but surely, J and I are moving toward our shared vision of our “dream kitchen”.
In fact, we got a second opinion on the gas cooktop and it’s now installed! There’s still an issue with moving the regulator so the drawer can fully go back in and as soon as it’s finished, I’ll post some pictures. I’m thrilled that we didn’t have to get a different cooktop or have to re-sell the one we’d already purchased. At this point, the drawer is a minor issue which can (hopefully) be easily remedied. There are still a few other things we want to do:

1. Replace the double sink with a single bowl.

2. Replace the faucet with a higher arched model for filling large pots and buckets.

3. Have the garbage disposal removed. It’s old, rusting and leaking. We thought about replacing it but since we’re on a septic system, we don’t put any food scraps down our sink anyway. After much research, we’ve decided to get rid of it altogether and get the pipe replaced under the sink.

4. Install a couple of magnetic knife strips for our butcher knives.

5. Fill the existing holes in the mortar of our brick wall and install some hooks for our cast iron skillets.

6. Buy two more LÄMPLIG chopping boards for the counter. We bought one about a month ago and it is awesome. A great value at $9.99.

This kitchen has been on an almost four- year journey of discovery and is finally feeling comfortable in its own skin. I’ve loved the kitchen since the moment I saw it and, while it’s evolved quite a bit from my original interpretation, I’m still trying to honor the home’s ‘bones’. I hope the house likes it.